Sooner or later, you are bound to start experiencing technical problems, i.e. slow shutdown, frequent reboots, blue screen errors and boot failure amongst others with your PC. These are often as a result of incomplete software installation and uninstall virus infection, improper PC shut down and software crash amongst others. These are not unique and are experienced by millions of users worldwide. Nonetheless, having the right troubleshooting skills will save you money and time. Having recognized the need to format and reinstall Windows, the article explains into detail how to format a hard disk from Windows installation disc. This can be applied when installing a new copy of Windows onto a PC. Here is particularly vital to backup all the data stored in your PC since formatting a hard drive causes everything that is stored therein to get lost. This comprises of all installed application programs and device drivers. Instructions

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Steps

1

Insert the Windows installation disc, i.e. Home or Professional edition into the CD-ROM and restart the PC.

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2

During the boot-up process, press F8 key until the boot-up menu appears (This boot menu key may differ in different models.

Using the arrow keys, scroll and select “Boot from CD”.

3

Thereafter, you will see a blue screen with series of messages. This might take a while as it gathers the files it requires. Upon finishing the process, a list of options will appear on your screen, using the arrow keys scroll and select “Press Enter to set up Windows”.

4

A new page appears with a list of options on where to install Windows. At this point you can delete the current partitions and format the hard disk. A section at the bottom of the screen will list all the partition that exists in the system. Use the arrow keys to scroll and select the partitions. To delete a partition, press ‘D’ and in the new screen that appears press ‘L’.

5

Upon completion, the process will take you back to the initial screen of where to install Windows. Given that all the partitions were deleted, you need to create a new primary partition to install Windows in. Use the arrow keys to select the “Unpartitioned space…” and press ‘C’ to create a new partition on the hard disk. A new page appears prompting you to select the size to use on the partition, enter the maximum figure shown therein and presses enter.

6

Choose the new partition as the primary partition to install Windows in. When prompted for the file system to use on the disk, select NTFS. Unlike other file systems displayed therein, NTFS is fast and secure.

7

Thereafter, Windows will format the hard disk and proceed with the installation process. The procedure may take approximately two hours to complete, so you have to be patient.

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When backing-up data, ensure that you have backed them into an external storage device and not in a partition on the hard disk. Furthermore, make certain that you have gathered all the necessary installation discs, i.e. Office, antivirus and recovery discs. These are vital in restoring the default factory settings.

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